At the present time, all autoloading handguns, whether composed of cast or machined metal or polymer, have an integral frame structure incorporating a receiver for the barrel, hammer and reciprocating slide mechanisms and having a handgrip structure that is integral with the frame. There is not presently known in the handgun industry a frame/handgrip assembly for autoloading handguns wherein both the frame and the handgrip provide for location of structural and operational components and wherein these structural and operational components, located wholly within the frame or handgrip or co-located by assembled frame and handgrip structures, are functionally interdependent.
In the sport of competitive target shooting with handguns, rapid-fire handgun target shooting activities have become a significantly important aspect of handgun target shooting events. Of late, considerable interest has developed toward the provision of handguns having increased round capacity, as compared to the 1911 A1 handgun which, in 0.45 caliber ACP, has a magazine capacity of seven rounds. A number of autoloading handgun designs are presently being marketed which employ staggered-row cartridge enhanced capacity magazines and wherein the frame of the handgun construction has a handgrip and magazine receptacle of sufficiently large internal dimension that larger, staggered row magazines can be received therein.
One of the principal problems with these types of increased capacity handguns is that the increased width internal magazine receptacles required by wide staggered row cartridge magazine, together with the wood or polymer grip plates with which they are typically provided, causes the handgrips to be quite large and bulky. Large dimensioned handgun grips are considered generally unacceptable to most target shooting enthusiasts, especially female target shooting enthusiasts whose hands are typically anatomically small. Handgrips for autoloading handguns of the standard Government Model autoloading handgun are of a dimension that provide most target shooters with a highly desirable manual "feel" thereby causing these types of handguns to be preferred for the purpose of target shooting as compared with autoloading handguns of increased round capacity having large, bulky handgrips.
In the field of law enforcement, autoloading handguns are often utilized. In this case autoloading handguns with increased round capacity are highly desirable. Handguns having large handgrips to permit increased round capacity are not well received in the field of law enforcement because of the wide and bulky nature thereof. Consequently, many law enforcement personnel, to achieve higher round capacity, have favored autoloading handguns of smaller caliber than the typical 0.45 caliber ACP simply because the smaller caliber permits a larger number of cartridges to be contained within the storage magazine of the handgun. Obviously, this is considered a trade-off because smaller caliber cartridges such as 9 mm cartridges frequently have significantly less knock-down power as compared to 0.45 caliber ACP cartridges.
It is considered desirable, therefore, to provide a autoloading handgun that may be manufactured to handle 0.45 caliber ACP cartridges and yet will have an increased round capacity to provide greater fire-power than is ordinarily obtainable with the standard Model 1911 A1 handgun. It is also desirable to provide a autoloading handgun of increased round capacity which incorporates a handgrip having substantially the size and feel of the standard Model 1911 A1 handgun. Heretofore, these desirable features have not been considered attainable.
Increased capacity handguns, because of the larger, bulkier frames thereof, are generally considerably heavier in weight as compared to the 1911 A1 handgun. This is because significantly more metal is required in the handgrip and magazine receptacle portions of the frame. In some cases, manufacturers have chosen to provide a handgun frame which is manufactured of light-weight aluminum or aluminum alloy material, thus minimizing the weight of the enlarged metal frame. This is also considered an undesirable "trade-off" because aluminum and aluminum alloys are of considerably less structural integrity as compared to a metal such as steel and when constructed with thin metal sections to minimize "bulk" they tend to develop stress fractures during use. It is desirable, therefore, to provide a staggered row magazine, increased round capacity, autoloading handgun of large caliber such as 0.45 caliber ACP and which has approximately the same handgrip size and weight as compared to a standard Government Model 1911 A1 handgun of the same large caliber. Heretofore this feature has also been considered unattainable.
During the development of the autoloading handgun frame/handgrip assembly of the present invention a number of design considerations were considered paramount. It was decided that the resulting handgun, to be acceptable to most target shooters, should have the capability of utilizing many parts such as the slide, barrel, recoil assembly, hammer assembly, etc. of the 1911 A1 handgun because it is well known to be the most dependable and most widely used handgun for target shooting and for law enforcement. Another major design parameter was to provide an increased round capacity autoloading handgun having an increased width magazine chamber or receptacle while maintaining essentially the same external handgrip width as compared with the standard 1911 A1 handgun. An even further major design consideration was to provide an increased round capacity autoloading handgun construction having an overall weight closely approximating the overall weight of a standard 1911 A1 handgun and to do so without resorting to the use of lightweight metal such as aluminum to form the frame structure. For a lighter than usual model, it was also considered appropriate to utilize lightweight metals such as aluminum, titanium, etc. for the frame and to provide a frame design utilizing such lightweight metals without any sacrifice from the standpoint of adequate structural integrity.